A gunshot rang out through the clearing, barely drowned out by the now-torrential rain, and causing what few birds that had remained in the trees above to take flight, squawking as they went.

Blake gave a groan, as she felt the sudden limp form of the rotter slump down on top of her, heavy and reeking of death.

The ground beneath her was soggy and wet, and Blake blinked about now, to see that she had fallen about ten foot-or-so down into a muddy pit, about twenty feet wide, and filled at the bottom with a muddy pool of rain water, that Blake was now unfortunately sat in, with the walker piled on top of her.

She had, landed on her back, just about managing to release the safety on her gun to fire it, causing the walker to tumble down top of her, its jaws, and green and broken teeth, snapping wildly at her shoulder.

Why the fuck hadn't she only brought a gun out here and no knife?

But Blake, giving a heavy groan, shoved these fruitless regrets from her mind.

What good were they to her now?

She had three bullets left and Blake knew that that gunshot was loud enough to draw more walkers to her position. She had to be more careful. Her goal was to find Mia, and not get herself killed out here!

And so, getting this rotter off of her, and getting out of this pit, was the first step in doing that.

Blake gave yet another pained groan, shoving the weight of the dead freak off of her, it landing in the puddle of rain water beside her with a small splosh, as the blonde woman caught her breath, tugging herself up into a sitting position.

She was filthy, soaked to the skin, her back half absolutely coated in wet mud, but even so, she wiped her hands together and pushed herself to her feet, as rain poured down all around her in sheets, making her wince, staring up at the top of the pit, several feet above her now.

She could already felt her feet sinking into the muddy dirt beneath her feet, but, frowning a little, and placing her gun back into the waistband of her jeans, Blake propelled herself forwards, making to climb out of the wide sloped hole.

But her fingers scrabbled uselessly at the muddy sides, as her booted feet did the same, finding no traction against the ground in the ever falling rain.

Fuck.

She tried again.

The other side of the pit this time, using the body of the walker as a stepping stone to launch herself forwards and attempt to leap for the sides.

But try as she might, Blake just slid back down, the mud-covered sides of the hole giving way beneath her feet, widening, creating a cavernous indent in the sides of the pit.

And the more she tried, as the seconds ticked by, letting out one roar of exhausted frustration after another, the worse the situation got, with the dirt beneath her hands and feet almost giving way beneath her like sand, in its water-clogged state.

Finally after what felt like an age, letting out a pained moan of defeat, Blake staggered backwards, her front now plastered in thick black mud, coating her legs, shoes and arms, with flecks of dirt covering her face too.

She knew whistling to signal the Saviours was pointless with the rain as loud as it was.

Had it been another day, Blake might have laughed to herself at the situated she was in, trapped here, in a state, filthy….

But not today, the caramel-blonde woman hanging her head in agony and utter anguish.

Lost.

A tear fell from her eyes as she stared down at her muddied feet…feeling her entire body let out a ragged breath of defeat.

And before Blake could help herself, she had let out a loud, carrying sob….

…and another…

…and another…

…unable to stop the tears from falling now.

And fall they did.

God, what was the point in all this?

Mia was likely long gone. As much as she had tried to hope, to pray that that wasn't so, she knew the likelihood of a tiny toddler surviving out here alone for even an hour.

She was probably, by now dead. Eaten by walkers.

The baby girl she had loved so dearly, the closest Blake had gotten to becoming a Mom, snatched away from her at the touchline.

What had she done so wrong to deserve all this?

What had anyone of them done so wrong?

To be living in this world?

For surely being dead was a better fate?

But Blake shook herself now, lifting her face skyward and closing her eyes, taking deep breath in, as the rain soaked her face almost instantly.

No.

Death was not better.

She was alive.

She was here.

She had made it through everything.

An apocalypse…David…and to give up now….

Blake shook her head, a single tear falling down her cheek, masked by raindrops.

….she was better than that.

She was a survivor.

They all were.

Blake took in a deep breath, just about to open her eyes and try again. To attempt at climbing the sides again.

For staying here and waiting for death was just not an option now.

But before she could do so, a sudden voice came from somewhere above her.

"What Bwakey doin' in dere?"

Everything became distant….slowed down….

Quiet.

And Blake, froze for a moment….

But only for a moment…her eyes snapping suddenly open…

This had to be a dream…

It had to be…

But Blake could only let out a sob, clutching a trembling hand to her mouth as she drew her face slowly down, her eyes finally landing on a teeny figure she had only dreamed of seeing again, for so so long….

…a little girl standing on chubby legs at the very edge of the pit, staring down at Blake, with round blue eyes and her fingers brought up to her mouth thoughtfully….

"Mia?" Blake whispered out, her voice breaking as she said the word.

She blinked her eyes closed.

But still when she opened her eyes once more, Mia remained, soaked through to the skin, in little pink leggings and a top, her mousy brown hair sticking to her head, with one of her socks now gone and the one that remained now dirty and almost brown in colour. In her hand she clutched a filthy green fluffy toy snake, now covered in brambles and coated in leaves at the end now dragging along the ground.

"I wen' lukin for you a' Eggy…." she said again in a boastful little voice, sounding utterly proud of herself. "An' naw I fawnd you. Wat you doin in dere?"

Blake blinked tears from her eyes, letting out a sob before she could help herself.

It was her! It was really her, after all this time.

Blake, her heart doing backflips, so overcome with emotion, wanting nothing more right now than to take Mia in her arms and hold her tight gave another loud sob.

"Don' cwy, Bwake, I halp you get owt," said Mia tilting her little head to the side and peering down into the pit, before sticking her little sock-covered foot out and attempting to clamber down into it, her tongue poking out between her lips as she concentrated hard.

But Blake's eyes widened as she swiped away her tears, taking a step forward and raising her arms aloft.

"No, baby don't," she uttered aloud, drawing the tiny girl's attention once more back up to her, stopping in what she was doing and standing up straight again. "Be careful, ok?"

But Mia just peered at Blake, making a pouty face, as rain pitter-pattered down onto her tiny head.

"Ca' we go 'ome naw?" she said after a drawn out second or two, causing Blake to give a gulp, a warmth spreading through her.

Mia wanted to come back with them, her baby girl, that thought alone making Blake's heart jolt with happiness.

"Yes, yes, you can come home with us, Sweetie," said Blake shaking her blonde head and staring up at the toddler she loved so so dearly and always had.

They could be a family.

They could be together…all three of them now.

But Blake had to get out of this stupid pit first…needing so much to hold Mia to her, to feel her heartbeat…..to make sure this wasn't just a dream.

The caramel-blonde woman gritted her teeth together now, determined. She could do this…for Mia.

And so again, Blake, using the dead walker as a foothold launched herself at the side of the pit, trying to grab hold of something…..anything.

But her feet scrabbled at the slippery mud, losing her footing yet again and fruitlessly sliding back down, landing hands first into the water-clogged bottom of the ever-deepening hole.

"Fuck…" she muttered under breath, aching and bruised.

But she had to keep trying.

But before she could do so, Mia suddenly glanced over her tiny shoulder looking around at something.

"Look, der' man ! 'E comin'," she said loudly, just as Blake heard a sudden shuffling coming from somewhere behind Mia….somewhere just out of sight.

Was it Negan?

Or one of the Saviours perhaps?

Blake took a step backwards, standing up onto her tiptoes to see better.

Was this her chance at rescue?

"Hello?" she called out tentatively, holding her breath.

But suddenly, her blood run utterly cold, listening in horror, hearing not only footsteps now, but an awful dragging sound, accompanied by a familiar rasping noise coming from the persons throat.

Shit.

For Blake could tell that this was no living person now.

It was a walker.

"Mia get away from him!" Blake said suddenly in panic, as Mia's face suddenly crumpled in upset, looking at once to the figure, just about staggering into Blake's view, before looking back at the blonde woman uneasily.

"I noh like…" said Mia, with a tiny whine, as Blake saw the horrendous creature stagger into view, lurching towards Mia and making a grab for her.

But Blake, quick as a flash, before the monster could even touch a hair on Mia's head, had snatched the gun from the back of her pants and fired it towards the walker.

But to her dismay, the first bullet impaled itself into its shoulder, casing the creature to turn its attention from Mia, and snarl down towards Blake, staring at her with hollow, sunken eyes.

"Mia, get away from it!" she yelled again, but Mia all of a sudden, began to bawl, triggering the walker to once again turn back the teeny girl.

No! No, no no!

Blake fired her gun again, steadying her hands this time, but still the bullet merely darted through the rotter's cheek, sending blackened blood and foul smelling viscera spurting out to its left, but it barely flinched, reaching out with decaying hands for Mia.

Blake had one bullet left now, holding her breath as her heart pounded away inside her chest, loud enough for a thousand walkers to hear it, she was sure.

And in a blink, Blake had closed one eye, clutching the gun with both hands, and fired the last remained bullet.

The world seeming to slow down….

…and Blake could only watch as the bullet sank into the walker's jaw ,flying out of the top of its soft skull, casing the monster to almost immediately collapse to the ground, missing baby Mia by mere inches, as it fell the edge of the pit with a 'whump', landing on the rainy ground below.

Blake breathed hard, her hands trembling, this of course having nothing to do with the cold rain falling onto her in sheets now, as the sky all around them darkened severely.

She had done it.

Thank god.

But its wasn't over yet….a crackle of lightening somewhere nearby, tolling Blake's fate like a bell.

She knew what was to happen now. What had to happen…. the only option they had left.

Although despite Blake's immediate relief, Mia wasn't too happy to say the least, letting out a sudden wail, and throwing her head back to the sky and beginning to sob.

"Shhhh, shhhh, its ok baby," said Blake soothingly, taking a step forwards and lowering her now-useless gun.

Blake now had no bullets left and knew that Mia could not stay here any longer like this, both her crying and those fired shots, drawing the attention of every walker in the vicinity.

Mia's survival was Blake's priority now.

And she knew what she had to do.

"Mia," said the caramel blonde woman, trying as hard as she could to regain the little girl's attention. "Now Blakey loves you every much, you know that don't you?"

And with that Mia, subsided in her crying for a moment, rubbing at her red eyes with scrunched up fists. She jutted out her bottom lip, giving a small nod.

"Good," said Blake in a soft voice. "Now I'm going to need you to do something very brave for me, baby, and I'm going to need you to run."

It was the only way. That way Mia would be safe. She couldn't stay here with Blake.

The a rumble of thunder crashed above them.

The outlook for Blake did not look good right now….but Mia had to survive. She just had to.

"I'm going to need you to run that way," said Blake with a half-smile, pointing back in the direction she supposed she had come, back towards Alexandria. "And I'm going to need you to keep running and don't stop until you see someone you know….like Negan or Tara one of the other people from the place you just came from, ok?"

But Mia gave a tiny, worried frown.

"Bwakey come wif me?" she asked in a small voice, but Blake, letting a tear run down her cheek, just shook her head, forcing another warm and encouraging smile in Mia's direction.

"No, baby, I can't," Blake said in a wavering tone, her heart breaking, knowing that this may be the last time she might see Mia…..the last time she might see anyone in fact…living that was.

But Mia suddenly looked over to her right, her lips quivering slightly as she pointed her chubby arm up at something Blake couldn't see.

"Monshter's are comin'…" she said in a quiet voice, looking frightened.

And Blake felt herself trembling now.

"It's just like a game baby, ok?" Blake said in a loud voice. "You don't let them catch you, ok….you just keep on running. Now go, Mia…..go."

And with that Mia, shooting Blake one last look, ran off suddenly as she had been told to do, heading off, out of sight, her little arms and legs flailing after her as she went.

Blake staggered backwards, as a sharp sob escaped her lips, her entire body trembling now.

Fuck.

This was it.

She could hear now, the sounds of at least a couple of walkers moving about in the area just above the pit, obviously having seen Mia running off, and attempting to follow in her direction.

But Blake was not going to let them get Mia.

Not her baby girl.

And so, taking a deep breath, Blake, with tears pouring down her cheeks now, steadied herself just enough to stand up straight and begin to yell as loud as she could at the top of her lungs.

"Hey! Hey! Come and get me assholes, I'm in here!" she shouted, jumping up and down and waving her arms, trying as hard as she could to garner the attention of the rotters. Desperate for them to forget about Mia….

…and focus their attention on her instead.

She had to do that. She loved Mia with all her heart, and all she cared about now, was seeing her survive.

Even if Blake herself didn't.

She gave a gulp now….submitting herself to her fate….

…as she gave another sob, hearing the creatures growing nearer and nearer.

But yet Blake kept on yelling.

"I'm in here…yeah...here!" she shouted again, in a shaky voice, half-sobbing now. "Come and get me!"

She kept on yelling, in fact, until she saw the two ugly heads of the lurkers appear suddenly over the edge of the pit as they peered down, lurching forwards to make a grab for her, arms stretched out wide, lurching towards her.

But the creatures, as ever, had no co-ordination, and in the blink of an eye had staggered, bumping into each other, their footing sliding across the muddy ground at the top of the small crevice…

..and before Blake could do a thing to stop them, both horrible rotting walkers had tumbled down into the pit with her….

…snapping and snarling as they went….

…leaving Blake with no bullets…

...no weapons…..

…and absolutely no way out.

Finally, a brief Blake/Mia reunion…..and I'm sorry it did not last very long…:'( More to come soon if you want it?

Thanks to chelseajowhite, JasminJW, DreamersChance, Kara315, CLTex, angelstuffing, Guest, angelvoice15, guest, alliesmiley, Moonwolf27, exclusivelybecca, Guest and AllieRoexxx for commenting on the last chapter.

I'll try and update again on Monday or Tuesday if I can. I hope you have a good weekend.